Title//Reddie

Part 5

(Warning: Homophobia and Violence ahead)
Richie smiled at Jake, it was a nice thing to say. Which of course meant Richie had to ruin it.
"Your mom thinks so" He joked, immediately regretting it afterwards.
Fuck, he ruined all his possible relationships with other people by being too obnoxious. It was why the losers loved each other, and tolerated him.
He looked at Jakes face, expecting to see him looking disgusted. Instead he was met with a smile and a hearty laugh. It was music to his ears. It was like there was no other sound, his laugh was all Richie heard.
"You're something else.... Trashmouth!" He exclaimed in triumph, proud of the nickname.
Jakes hand gently brushed Richies, and he felt a blush creep up on his face. He fumbled, trying to find a excuse.
"Um it's uh really hot out here" He said, not convincing anyone.
Jake laughed again.
"It's because my hand brushed yours isn't it?" He questioned.
"What? No! Of course not." He replied, still not being the most discreet.
The blush turned his cheeks a dark crimson red as he felt Jakes hand take a hold firmly on his own.
"Your cheeks got darker! It is because of my hand! You like boys, Trashmouth?" Jake asked, an obvious trap, but Richie was too involved in the boys beauty to see his true intent.
Richie hadn't admitted it to anyone, not even himself. But Jake seemed strangely safe, almost too safe. With his never wavering smile and soft hands, he was exactly what Richie imagined when he imagined the perfect boy. Well a little taller than he preferred but Jake made up for it with his perfect eyes.
So despite barely knowing him, he felt comfortable around him. More comfortable than around himself.
"I don't know. Maybe" He admitted, it felt like a weight off his shoulder. But it felt like a thousand pounds fell back down with Jakes response.
  He laughed, but it wasn't heartily and nice like earlier. It was cruel and sharp. Like now he wasn't laughing with him, he was laughing at him.
"I knew it, I fucking knew it. I mean I was the one who started the rumours but I always had a feeling it was more than a rumour" Jake admitted.
Richie never knew where the rumours had come from, but now he knew. He always thought once he found the culprit, he would be so mad. Whenever Henry or someone else was beating him up, or making fun of him, he always got very mad at the mystery person who caused it. But what actually happened is he felt sad, he felt really fucking sad.
"That was you?" He asked, he knew the answer but it still didn't feel right. Jake had felt so safe a minute ago, it just didn't feel true.
"It very much was." He confirmed, not a hint of shame in his voice.
Richie felt himself shatter. He had finally met someone he trusted enough to open himself up to, and they had made his life hell. Every punch, every slur, every boy that wouldn't come near him, everything was because of Jake. He pulled his hand away, he didn't feel safe anymore.
"W-why?" He questioned. He mentally chided himself for the way his voice cracked.
"Because you got my cousin suspended!" He exclaimed.
"Wh- Is your cousin Henry Bowers?" Richie asked, he was the only person Richie had ever got suspended.
"Yes dickhead" Jake told him.
He knew exactly what he was talking about.
It was years ago, Richie was only in third grade. Henry was in sixth, he was a lot older and stronger than Richie. It was the first day Henry had picked on Richie, nagging him about his lanky arms and skinny legs. He was saying it in quite a rude manner, but he wasn't completely wrong. Richie was very underweight, still is. But that wasn't the point, the point was that a older boy was picking on a skinny child. He was mostly just insulting him, but Henry pushed him to the ground. In any other case that would be it, Henry would push them and nothing else would happen. But Henry had picked the wrong place to push him. He pushed him right onto the fence. Nothing major happened, Richie was lucky to escape without anything threatening. But he still got a nasty gash across his back. He told the full story to the principal, and Henry had gotten a week's suspension. He specifically remembered that day, not because of the scar on his back but because of what happened later that day. Henry gave him one of the worst beatings he had got from him. He just absolutely wailed on him for almost thirty minutes straight. He went home with almost every inch of his skin bruised. He wasn't able to open one of his eyes for a week. The rumours had started the very next day. He had always guessed Henry started them, but he never fully believed that.
"Why are you mad about that?" He asked.
"It's not really the suspension, it's what his dad did to him. He got so mad at him for getting suspended. What he did was your fault, you got him suspended" Jake explained.
It all came back to Richie.
When the week was up and Henry came back to school, he came back a little different. His left eye was purple and rough, a horrible bruise. He had a slight limp, but punched anyone who mentioned it. He had never thought that Henry's dad might have done it to him. But Richie wasn't dense, he knew that having a shitty father doesn't give you the right to bully other people. Richie had a shitty father but he didn't go around punching people.
"It sucks that his dad hits him, but his dad hitting him isn't my fault! Plus why would you tell people I'm g- g- ... into boys" Richie couldn't say the word, despite saying he might like boys just a minute ago, the word felt wrong again. Like Jake had brought him back down to the square one.
"I do realize that now, but I didn't then. And I told people you liked boys because, 1. You do, and 2. It's probably the worst thing ever people can think about you. I might not have had a solid reason to start the rumours, but I'm glad I did. A disgusting f*g like you doesn't deserve a closet to hide in." Jake spat the words at Richie.
Richie felt horrified, he didn't know what this boy was going to do to him. Sure it was only words now, words that stung horribly but were still only words, but what if it escalated? What if Jake was like his cousin? He was genuinely terrified of what this boy might do to him.
And his fears came to life.
He didn't see it coming, but he felt it. He felt Jakes "soft hands" collide against his face. His cheek, the victim of his knuckles, throbbed. He tried to put his hands up to protect himself, but he was frozen. He couldn't move if he wanted too, and he wanted too.
Then came another punch, and another.
His entire face throbbed, a steady stream of blood came down from his nose.
But finally, Jake was done with him.
"And for the piece du resistance" Jake pulled a black permanent marker out of his back pocket, and started writing on Richies cheek.
The writing stung like hell on his bruised cheek, but he could feel the individual lines. He knew exactly what he wrote.
He had drawn, in big bold letters, a F, an A, and a G.
That was when the waterworks started.
He had finally worked up the courage to let someone know he wasn't straight. But it all blew up in his face. He couldn't help but cry, it was too horrible not too.
"Oh is little baby gonna cry? How sad. Well I hate to leave a fairy with its wings clipped, but goodbye sissy! See you hopefully never" Jake said before walking away.
Richie felt sort of relieved when Jake walked away, but he couldn't say his words didn't sting.
But he was right.
He hated it, oh god he hated it, but Jake was right. He did like boys. It was stupid and disgusting and just not allowed, but he did. He was an idiot to think one would ever like him back. You can't tell anyone, ever. And you can never date one, never. He made the ground rules for himself.
He decided not to stay in a dirty alley, plus he had forgotten his coins in the arcade.
He pulled himself up, it was hard. Despite his face being Jakes main target, his legs still wobbled and threatened to make him fall. It took him a while, but he did stand up. As he started to walk over, it got easier. Soon he was walking at a normal pace again. He grabbed the knob and yanked open the arcade door. Scanning the room for his bag of nickels.
His eyes stopped on a certain guy in the middle of the arcade.
"Richie fucking Tozier! With f*g on his cheek? Disgusting queer" Henry sneered.
Everyone in the arcade erupted with laughter, well everyone beside a cute short boy who was playing skee ball at the back.
Richie felt exposed, on display. As if his torment was something on television. Something anyone could watch. He hated it. The nickels weren't worth it.
Eddie had never seen him like this, Richie was always confident and happy. Now he seemed more sad and vulnerable. He hated to see him like this.
   Richie ran out, but he didn't notice a certain boy follow him.
He settled on a park bench a few blocks over.
He just sat down and sobbed.
Sobbed because of Jake, Henry, but mostly because of himself. He sobbed because of the disgusting thing he thought he had become. Liking boys? It was something that was never shown, never acceptable. God, how will my parents react? He pondered
I know, I'll just never tell them. It felt like a good plan, they can't judge him if they don't know. No one can.
He didn't hear the boy sneak up beside, he just felt a warm hand on his shoulder. He jumped at the touch, whoever it was scared him like hell.
"Whoa! Rich calm down, it's just me." Eddie reassured.
"Fuck! Eds you scared me!" He told him. He had scared the shit out of him.
He wiped at his tears, he didn't want Eddie to see him cry, again.  He put a hand over his cheek, the torment of the rumours was something he liked to keep private.
Eddie saw Richie put his hand over his cheek, and knew what lay beneath. He knew Richie didn't like to talk about all the homophobic bullying he got but Eddie saw it, saw it all. He even noticed the little things. The whispers that always floated through the halls when Richie walked by, the fact that his school project partners were always female because the guys wouldn't go near, that he never had a date to the dances. All the little horrid things just made the bigger things seem worse. The bruises he always had, the slur graffiti on his locker, the fact that the gym teacher made him change with the girls. But what was even more horrible was that no one ever helped him, stopped Henry, no one even asked Richie if he was okay. The losers had to keep their distance because Henry wasn't the friendliest to them either but they always asked if Richie was okay. Everyone else just stared or worse, lots of people laughed. There were people in positions that could put a end to Henry's dickhead bullying, but never did. It made Eddies blood boil, a innocent boy was being bullied for something not even confirmed, and no one tried to stop it. Not even Richies parents gave a effort.
But asking if he was okay didn't do anything, Richie would just laugh it off and say he was fine. He never talked to the losers, but Eddie knew he needed someone to talk too. Eddie would occasionally vent to Bill, but Richie never vented to anyone. No one knew what lay below the surface of the infamous Richie Tozier.
He wanted Richie to be able to talk to him, so he put down Richie's hand and gently cupped his cheek.
"Richie. What happened?" Eddie asked, making sure his voice was soft and gentle. He didn't want to scare Richie.
"Nothing! I'm fine spaghetti man" He joked, he hoped Eddie couldn't see the truth. He wasn't fine, not at all.
"Richie." He said, soft as he can "You can tell me"
Richie melted into Eddies voice. It felt safe, not like with Jake where he was just searching for someone to trust, this felt actually safe. His voice was soothing, and so were the lips it came from.
Woah, slow down. Stop thinking about Eddie like that. You don't like him, he doesn't like you. Let's leave it at that. He scolded himself for thinking about Eddie in such a manner.
But honestly, Eddie did feel safe. So he told him, told him everything.
He told him about the pretty boy, his kind smile and his big blue eyes. He talked about the alley, his trusting face and soft hands. He explained how quickly his laughing face turned to hatred, and his nice words to insults. He described the punches, the pain and the anger behind them. He finished with the return to the arcade and the trip to the park bench. But he left out the fact he might actually like boys, Eddie didn't need to know. No one needed to know.
He expected Eddie to laugh. Ridicule him maybe. He went through all the mean things Eddie could say in his head. But he didn't say anything mean. Instead he rummaged through his fanny pack and brought out anti bacterial wipes and some rubbing alcohol.
"This is going to sting a little bit" Eddie warned Richie.
He started to clean all the little cuts on Richie's face. It did sting like hell, but Richie appreciated the gesture. It was one of the nicer things that someone had done for him in a while. Eddie washed the dried blood off from underneath his nose, and gave him little beige bandaids for the cuts that bled. He even tried to wash the writing off his cheek, but the marker was permanent. No amount of wipes could erase the marker.
"Fuck, it won't come off. It's permanent marker, so it'll come off naturally in about a month." Eddie said solemnly.
"Eh don't worry about it spaghetti. It'll be like how we call ourselves losers, it can't hurt when other people say it if it's on my cheek!" Richie joked, but it only took him a second to realize he overshared.
"It hurts? But you always smiled and said it was fine." Eddie realized what a idiot he had been, of course it would hurt! It's a fucking slur for god sakes. But Richie had always been so convincing. Eddie never knew how little he actually knew about the Trashmouth until now.
"Eds it's fine." Richie lied. It wasn't fine, it hurt. But he wanted Eddie to think he was happy, and being here with Eddie did make him happy so it was only a half lie.
Eddie didn't believe him. Not for a second. But he knew Richie was one box that refused to open.
"Well..." Eddie looked down at his watch "Shit! We agreed to meet at the clubhouse at three and it's quarter too!"
Richie didn't want to see the losers like this, not with his bruised face, all the bandaids, and not with the letters on his cheek. He knew he would have to face them eventually but he hoped it wasn't going to be right after it happened. The losers would ask a ton of questions that Richie wouldn't want to answer. Even Bev would be there, another person he had to share it with. Nevertheless, he put on a smile, nodded his head, and walked to the clubhouse with Eddie.
It was a silent walk, but it wasn't awkward. It was quite nice actually. Just walking together along the road, enjoying each other's company. It was almost sad for them when they reached the clubhouse and had to engage in conversation again.
"Hey guys-oh fuck rich what happened?" Mike asked, standing up from his spot in a panicky concern for his friend.
Rich just sighed and went to lye down in the hammock
"Lots of shit happened Mike" He, not very specifically, answered.
"Rich should I....." Eddie started, he looked at Richie.
Richie knew what he was asking. He wanted to know if it was okay to tell the group what happened. It was actually kinda relieving. Richie had a out, he wouldn't have to say what happened. Eddie would do it for him. So he nodded at Eddie, and sighed happily in the hammock. But he wasn't happy when Eddie started telling the story.
Eddie was telling it great, good detail and true story. But that's what made it worse for Richie.
Because of the specifics, throughout the entire story, the losers shot him looks of sympathy and even worse, pity. He hated being pitied. He hated being something people felt sorry for. He didn't need other people's opinions on how sucky his life is, why the fuck should they get to talk about that?
He realized he had zoned out, and Eddie had finished the story.
"Oh Rich." Bev said sadly, not needing to say much more. The sentiment was there.
All the losers looked at him with sadness, not for themselves. They remained oblivious to most of what happened behind closed doors, but this wasn't closed. Everyone could see what happened.
Well not all the losers looked sad, Stan looked like he was going to kill someone.
"What a fucking dick! Who fucking does that? It's not acceptable to just beat someone up because of a stupid rumour, that to be frank, they started!" Stan ranted. "If it wasn't for the fact that this is bowers cousin, I would fucking murder them! Who even is bowers cousin?"
Eddie pondered the question, Rich had never used the boys name in the story. Stans angry words had started to get Eddie mad too, Stan had some good points, the main one being bowers cousin would easily overpower them, that was a point Eddie ignored.
"It's not important Stan." Rich waved off the question, he didn't want Jake to be after his friends too. If he told them Jakes name, and they did anything to even possibly mention to Jake that he's a dick, they'd be beat up in a heartbeat.
"Yeah it's fucking important Rich!" Eddie argued
"What's his name?" Stan demanded.
"Fine! Jake Johnson" Richie revealed.
That was all Eddie needed to run out of the clubhouse and head to the arcade.
All the losers ran in pursuit.
Eddie looked around, he spotted Jake hanging right outside the arcade with his cousin and his band of goons. He ran right up to him and pushed him back with both of his hands.
"Fuck you Jake! Who the hell do you think you are?" Eddie screeched at him.
"Well I think I'm-" Jake started.
"It's a rhetorical question dumbass!" Eddie interrupted.
"Eddie! You're gonna get yourself hurt" Said Stan, always the voice of reason.
But Eddie ignored Stan's very sensible comment.
"Fucking leave Richie alone!" He told Jake.
"Oh! Standing up for your boyfriend are you?" Jake teased "I don't regret it. but if you don't stop bothering me, you will."
"Eds! It's not worth it." Richie said, he felt bad that Eddie was going through all this trouble for him. Sure it hurt but he didn't want Eddie to get hurt as well.
Eddie ignored him as well.
He didn't follow Jakes instructions, he didn't leave. Instead he swung his fist at Jake.
Something about Jake made him so fucking mad. He hurt Richie, that enough would made Eddie furious, but he was also unapologetic about it! What a fucking dick.
So he punched him, punched him hard. Jake never saw it coming. But something he forgot to consider is that when you punch someone, your fist hurts, like a lot.
"Oh fuck! Shit! Ow!" He screamed. He held his fist to his stomach and doubled over in pain. But as he watched Jake step back and hold his nose, it was worth it. Jake had made Richie feel bad, and Eddie made him hurt. Eddie did that. He feel strangely proud of himself, but was mostly glad that Richie got justice. Someone stood up for him for once, Richie deserved it.
But he it was hard to feel that way when Henry had his turn. Clearly he was mad at Eddie for punching his cousin. One punch and Eddie was on the ground. Henry kicked him hard in the stomach and twice in the back. Eddies mouth tasted like blood. He felt one more kick and then looked up to see the place was deserted, besides the losers. Richie immediately ran to his side, and the losers followed suit.
"Fucking hell eds! Are you okay?" Richie asked, realizing it is a stupid question when Eddie is literally bleeding.
"I'm happy, but also not. It hurts like a bitch" Eddie complained.
"How can you be happy when Henry best the shit out of you?" Stanley asked.
"Well Jake insulted Richie, and I punched that bitch right in the nose" Eddie said rather proudly.
Richie felt a blush rise on his cheeks. Eddie did it all for him, he punched a guy for him, he got beat up by Henry for him. He felt glad knowing how far Eddie was willing to go for him. He would do the same for Eddie in a heartbeat.
"Thanks Spaghetti Man" Richie praised.
"No problem, idiot. And stop calling me that!" Eddie got mad whenever Richie called him spaghetti, but to be honest, he didn't want Richie too stop calling him eds. He kinda liked it. 

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What do y'all think of the story so far? Also do you guys prefer when I write longer parts like this, or shorter ones like the last part?